China Says Japanese Fighter Jets Locked Onto Its Planes

China alleges that Japanese fighter planes recently locked onto Chinese fighters over the East China Sea. Elsewhere, China is closing a large portion of the South China Sea for military exercises. The two incidents highlight a looming giant increasingly at odds with neighboring countries as it flexes its military muscles.

The first incident, which reportedly took place on June 17, involved two F-15J Eagles of the Japan Air Self Defense Force and two Su-30 fighters of the People's Liberation Army Air Force. The encounter happened in China's Air Defense Identification Zone in the East China Sea over uninhabited islands claimed by both sides.

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Chain claims the Japanese fighters maneuvered to intercept the Chinese planes and even achieved a radar lock. Such a lock is required to launch radar-guided air-to-air missiles. The Japanese side denied the incident, saying that none of the "provocative actions" the Chinese complained about actually took place.

Tensions between Japan and China have been on the uptick since 2010, when both sides reiterated their claim to islands off the Asian mainland that Japan calls the Senkaku Islands and China calls the Diaoyu. Air encounters between the two countries are not uncommon, but this is the first incident in which one side has complained of a radar lock-on.

People's Liberation Army Navy frigate Yancheng.

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In the meantime, China is about to start military exercises in the South China Sea that will run from July 5 until July 11—one day before an International Court of Arbitration is expected to rule against the country in its territorial dispute with the Philippines. The 38,000-mile no-go zone is, according to DefenseOne, slightly smaller than the state of Kentucky. The Chinese Navy will reportedly conduct anti-ship, anti-aircraft, anti-submarine, and maritime interception exercises.